It's 12:57am Thursday morning here at Rock Father HQ in Illinois, and with a fresh coffee poured, I'm still finding myself enthralled with what's happening with Toys "R" Us. Like Michael Corleone, "just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in." There is so much information flowing right now, I believe that we haven't even begun to fully understand the shadiness that's gone down at Toys "R" Us - not just in the U.S., but with some of the overseas units as well. With liquidation sales originally thought to be starting when stores open later this morning, multiple sources are now telling me that they might be postponed due to erroneous court documents. I have not been able to confirm that, so we'll find out as the day develops. What I really wanted to share with you now is a video from Dan Rather that The Young Turks posted earlier this week. I don't believe that enough people have seen it, and Rather backs up much of what I've been telling all of you in recent months... but he also ties it back to our President in some overlooked ways. If you've wondered why, despite all the tweeting and chest pumping about jobs that he does, Donald Trump has thus far been quiet on the potential loss of 33,000 jobs thanks to the Toys "R" Us collapse, Mr. Rather may just have the answer. Watch and listen...

Donita Sparks and Suzi Garder's first songwriting collaboration in 18 years has arrived in the form of a return single from L7, the very timely "Dispatch From Mar-a-Lago." Available for streaming or sale this morning from Don Giovanni Records, the new single takes its name from Donald Trump's "Winter White House" and provides one hell of a fun jam to kick off the weekend. Listen below!

Have you ever wondered what would happen if Donald Trump, Kim Jong-un and Mike Tyson came together to form a band? No? Me neither, but the answer to the question that no one asked has been answered with NUCLEAR POWER TRIO! Featuring President Trump slappin' the bass with Supreme Leader Jong-un on guitar and Tyson punching the skins, their debut music video is out, and it's come with a message: "It's a song to promote world peace!" It just might be the weirdest thing you see today...

I feel it's time to remind America of something... are you ready? No matter what your political affiliation or lack thereof, it's okay to make fun of our President. It's also perfectly acceptable to question, challenge and take shots at your elected officials. Respect doesn't come with an office or position - it has to be earned. Political humor is timeless, and if you're the President of The United States of America, you are fair game. In my lifetime, I always think of Saturday Night Live and Chevy Chase as Gerald Ford as the benchmark - the earliest clips I can recall. I see people complaining on Twitter about Alec Baldwin as Trump, yet those same folks have no doubt laughed it up about other actors playing Obama, Bush, Clinton, Reagan, Nixon, Carter and all of their opponents. It doesn't make any sense, because it is always acceptable to make fun of the President - always. On the printed page, MAD Magazine holds a long history of political humor, and if I recall correctly, it was my dad who bought me my first MAD Magazine (I went though an era of the 80s where I was a regular reader). Now, they're keeping that tradition alive in an era where the jokes write themselves. MAD About Trump: A Brilliant Look at Our Brainless President is out June 20th, and today the folks at DC Comics sent over a preview to Rock Father HQ, and I'm sharing it with you. I don't post a lot about politics here on the site, but as a registered Independent that cannot fully identify with any political party in this country (or any other), I say, "Joke 'Em All!" Anyone remember the comic book, "Great Morons in History: Dan Quayle?" I had that one...

We're in a new era, and no matter who you supported in the last Presidential election, the result is undeniable: The world is a very different place post-1/20/2017 than it was before. This is where we're at. We've been moving toward it for years, but now, The United States of America is home to scenes that were once thought of as symbols of the Third World. Protests. Riots. Fire in the the streets. Racial hatred. Political animosity. Terrorist attacks - it's all here, and it didn't happen overnight. As I was preparing to pen another throwback post for a new "Rewind" column, it hit me that Sepultura's 1993 album, Chaos A.D., essentially describes where we're at right now. Written by a band from Brazil - known for the tales of "Third World Chaos," the reality that they were living made its way into the lyrics of Max Cavalera and Co. - words that are frighteningly on-point to the United States in 2017. If "Refuse/Resist" is the anthem, then "Territory" is the warning. And lest we forget "Propaganda" and "Slave New World." If you've heard the album, it's worth revisiting. If you haven't, indulge yourself and make sure to have the lyrics for the entire record handy. Here's two to get you started...

What an Election year this has been. With unprecedented wackiness on all sides of the aisle, we can expect the chaos and controversy to continue well through Election Day, Tuesday, November 8th. As I've already experienced here at Rock Father HQ, kids are asking questions, and whether Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, or an unlikely-to-win third-party candidate will be getting your vote this season (I'm voting for Optimus Prime since I agree with his platform that "Freedom is the right of all sentient beings"), there's an opportunity to use this season to teach kids how our system is supposed to work. At that center of that system is Washington, D.C. - a city that evokes some natural curiosity in kids... a place unlike any other in the United States, and today Seattle's THE NOT-ITS! are paying tribute with the release of their new music video. "Washington, D.C." is a song that's been featured here on THE ROCK FATHER™ Magazine in the past (get a free download here), and today it's back as one of my favorite bands in the "Kindie Scene" (and one with legit indie cred) goes on a big adventure...